Mobile device-based content loader for entertainment system

Abstract

A system for wirelessly distributing multimedia content to an in-flight entertainment system includes a remote content server on which the multimedia content is stored. One or more content loader devices are each associated with an individual scheduled for travel on an aircraft, and each of the content loader devices has a data retrieval module that initiates a transfer of partitions of the multimedia content upon establishing a first data communications link to the remote content server, and a data loading module that transfers the multimedia content to the in-flight entertainment system over a second data communications link to the in-flight entertainment system. The remote content server defines and designates the partitions for transfer to a specific one of the content loader devices based at least in part upon a predefined association between the content loader device and the aircraft.

1 . A content loader device for transferring data from a remote content server to an entertainment system of a vehicle, the content loader device comprising:
 a content memory;   a primary data networking module that establishes a local data transfer link to the entertainment system while being within direct wireless communicable range thereto, and a primary remote data transfer link to the remote content server while being beyond direct wireless communicable range to the entertainment system;   a data retrieval client linked to the content memory and the primary data networking module, the data retrieval client initiating a retrieval of the data over the primary remote data transfer link based at least in part upon a predefined association of the content loader device to the vehicle, the retrieved data being stored in the content memory; and   a data loading client linked to the content memory and the primary data networking module, the data loading client, in response to a detected establishment of the local data transfer link, transfers the data to the entertainment system following retrieval from the content memory.   
     
     
         2 . The content loader device of  claim 1 , wherein the data comprises one or more partitions of a multimedia content data unit. 
     
     
         3 . The content loader device of  claim 2 , wherein the partitions of the data unit are generated by the remote content server. 
     
     
         4 . The content data loader device of  claim 3 , wherein the data retrieval client generates an operational report to the remote content server, the partitions of the data being generated by the remote content server as a function of the operational report. 
     
     
         5 . The content loader device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a secondary data networking module that establishes a secondary remote data transfer link to the remote content server;   wherein the data retrieval client, in response to a detected establishment of the secondary remote data transfer link, initiates a retrieval of the data over the secondary remote data transfer link based at least in part upon the predefined association of the content loader device to the vehicle, the retrieved data being stored in the content memory.   
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The content loader device of  claim 1 , wherein the data is removed from the content memory following a completed transmission of the data to the entertainment system. 
     
     
         8 . The content loader device of  claim 1 , wherein the data is removed from the content memory in response to a deletion instruction from the remote content server. 
     
     
         9 . The content loader device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a streaming client in communication with a content streaming server to retrieve secondary data for playback during the retrieval of the data from the remote content server.   
     
     
         10 . A system for wirelessly distributing data to an in-flight entertainment system of an aircraft, the system comprising:
 a remote content server on which the data is stored, the data being segregated into one or more partitions; and   one or more content loader devices each associated with an individual scheduled for travel on the aircraft, and each including:
 a data retrieval module that initiates a transfer of the one or more partitions of the data upon establishing a first data communications link to the remote content server; 
 a data loading module that transfers the data to the in-flight entertainment system over a second data communications link to the in-flight entertainment system; 
   wherein the remote content server defines and designates the one or more partitions of the data for transfer to a specific one of the content loader devices based at least in part upon a predefined association between the specific one of the content loader devices and the aircraft.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the data comprises multimedia content data, the system further comprising:
 a multimedia streaming server with secondary multimedia content data stored thereon, the secondary multimedia content data being streamed to the one or more content loader devices;   wherein the one or more content loader devices each include a multimedia streaming client in communication with the multimedia streaming server, the secondary multimedia content data being streamed to the content loader device for playback thereon, and the transfer of the one or more partitions of the multimedia content data being initiated in response to initiating the streaming of the secondary multimedia content data.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the remote content server segregates the data into one or more partitions based at least in part upon the number of active content loader devices concurrently in communication with the remote content server over respective first data communications links. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the designation of the one or more partitions of the data for transfer to the specific one of the content loader devices is based at least in part upon an estimated time to board the aircraft by the individual to which the content loader device is associated. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the remote content server polls the in-flight entertainment system on a periodic for a report of the one or more partitions of the data transferred to the in-flight entertainment system of the aircraft from the content loader devices. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the in-flight entertainment system reconstructs the data from the partitions transferred from the content loader devices. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the in-flight entertainment system reports to the remote content server during the reconstruction of the data missing partitions therein not yet received from any of the content loader devices. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more partitions of the data stored on the content loader devices are deleted following a completed transfer to the in-flight entertainment system. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more partitions of the data stored on the content loader devices are deleted in response to a deletion command generated by the remote content server. 
     
     
         19 . A method for distributing data to an in-flight entertainment system of an aircraft, the method comprising:
 establishing a first data transfer link from a content loader device to a content server computer system;   receiving, on the content loader device over a content streaming link, a stream of secondary data from a streaming server computer system;   instructing the content server computer system to generate one or more partitions of a data in response to initiating the streaming of the secondary data to the content loader device, the generating of the one or more partitions being based at least in part upon a predefined association between the content loader device and the in-flight entertainment system of the aircraft;   receiving, by the content loader device, the partitions of the data generated by the content server computer system; and   transmitting the one or more partitions of the data to the in-flight entertainment system over a second data transfer link from the content loader device to the in-flight entertainment system.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 deleting the one or more partitions of the data stored on the content loader devices in response to a deletion command generated by the remote content server.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said data comprises multimedia content.